Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-03-14
PLYMOUTH CHURCH
Positively Decorated ON the Occa-
sion of the Eulo2 ixtic service.

sion of the EulO2 istic service.
New York, March l3.-The church
on Cranberry street, Brooklyn, made
famous by the late Henry Ward
Beecher, never presented more Joy.
GUS and gay appearance than it did to.
day. 1t was decorated more as if for
May.dsy festival than for the occasion
of Plymouth's late pastors funeral eulo-
gy. Rays of the spring mornings sun
shone in through the east windows of
the church and reflected with exquisite
effect the beautiful shades of color of the
intermingling flowers and ferns. Not
sign of Grape could be seen anywhere.
The edifice was crowded to its fullest
capacity. The Rev. s. B. Halliday,
MIR. Beecher's assistant, who is at pres
ent in charge of the church, assisted the
Rev. Lyman Abbott in conducting the
services. Abbott spoke for over On
hour and the attention Of the audience
was only broken by the occasional sob.
bing of some of the church members.
New YORK, March l3.-The evening
service in Plymouth church was re.
markable from the fact that clergymen
of almost every denomination were
present and spoke in eulogy of the late
Mr.. Bee cher. The building was crowded
to excess and the vestibules were utterly
impossible. During the service many
people tainted, and several remained
where they had swooned, as they could
not be carried out. The Rev. Mr.. Hal
liday conducted the service and read the
following letter from DR.. McGlynn,
the deposed priest of st. Stephens
church:
New YORK, March II, 1887.
Reverend and Dear Mr.. Halliday:
regret very much that l cannot be
present this evening at the meet
ing in Plymouth church TO honor
the memory of the great pastor. and to
condole for his lrreparable loss. l must,
therefore. content myself with saying
briefly in writing what l should be glad
to say more fully in speech. 1t is the
sign of the dawning of better day for
which the world has SO long yearned,
that such meeting should be possible,
and that you and yours should so
earnestly desire the presence of cler-
gyman of that church which seems so
remote, and, too many would say, so
antagonistic to yours. Foremost in
the work of Fastening the COM
ing of that better day was the
great man whose death we mourn
and for whose work we give thanks.
None other so we'll as he taught the
mon in this land, of his time. to exalt
the essential of religion, pure and unde.
filed, in which we all agree, and to
minmise the differences that seem to
separate us. To him was given to see
with clearer vision, to reveal with un-
equaled genius and with tireless energy,
and to make common among men the
meaning of Him who taught of old on
mount and by seashore. [ cheerfully
confess that from Beecher learned from
the first days of my ministry new ten.
derness, and the fullness of the
meaning of sour Father" and
am glad to be able here to state
that the theology of the old church
agrees with his in this, that the essence
of religion is in cummunion with God,
through love of him for His own sake,
and in loving all as much as we love our
selves. While sacrifice and sacrament,
creed and ritual, prayer, and sermon and
song may be, aud are, powerful helps
and necessary manifestations of this re-
ligion, which is love, without it they are
but mockery and blasphemy. l thank.
fully count him among the masters from
whom have learned the fuller meaning
of the prayer, THY will be
done, on earth as tits in heaven"
Beecher and other giants OF their
time. have cleared the field and illumin-
ated the way for enlightened progress,
and helped to give more perfect assur.
ances of victory in a strife that is now
beginning against wider slavery than
that against which he dealt his sturdy
blows-the enslaving of the masses by
classes-and to cement the union, not
merely of the American states, but of
the people of the world. Stimulated
and encouraged by his success, let US
take up the burden of the peoples
wrongs where his tired shoulders have
laid it down, and fight anew the battle,
if need be, till right shall come, and
we see the burden fall from our should
ers and the weapons from our hands.
Fraternally,
EDWARD MCGLYNN.